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Kook's Tour

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Kook's Tour
1975 Niles Film Products Super 8 Sound cover
Directed byNorman Maurer
Written byNorman Maurer
Produced byNorman Maurer
Starring
Cinematography
  • James T. Flocker
  • Michael Maurer
Edited byPat Somerset
Distributed byNormandy Productions
Running time
51 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Kook's Tour is an American comedy television film produced in late 1969 and early 1970. It was the final film to star the Three Stooges and was originally intended as the pilot for a television series. However, on January 9, 1970, before filming was completed, Larry Fine suffered a severe stroke, paralyzing the left side of his body. When it became clear that Fine was not expected to recover fully from the stroke, production of the series was cancelled and the Kook's Tour pilot film was shelved.[1]

Plot

Kook's Tour was conceived by Moe Howard's son-in-law, frequent Three Stooges collaborator Norman Maurer, as a weekly television series that would have mixed the Stooges' brand of farce comedy with a documentary travelogue format. The concept of the series was that, after 50 years of comic mayhem, the Stooges (Moe, Larry Fine and Joe DeRita) have retired and are traveling the world with their dog, Moose, motor home, and motor boat (which is transported from place to place via a cargo plane). The 52-minute pilot film for the series saw the Stooges exploring the wilderness of the western United States, including areas of Wyoming and Idaho. In the meantime, Larry keeps getting snubbed when trying to catch a fish and getting a picture of a deer. At the end of the pilot film, Larry, in frustration, throws his hat into the water and fish bite on the fishing hooks attached to it. Larry starts to get excited about catching some fish, but Curly Joe counts the fish and says "One for me, one for Moe, and one for....Moose!"

The epilogue shows Moe sitting in an office, discussing the trip and stating that their next destination for the second episode (which was ultimately never produced) was Japan. (Moe makes no reference to Larry's stroke, so it's unknown if this scene was filmed before or after Larry's stroke). Incorrect. Moe's scene in his home office and narration, was recorded after Larry's illness. Also, there was only one additional day of filming planned, mainly for close-ups, at a park in LA.

Cast

  • Moe Howard as Moe (final film)
  • Larry Fine as Larry (final film)
  • Joe DeRita as Curly Joe (final film)
  • Moose the Dog as Himself
  • Norman Maurer as camper
  • Jeffrey Scott as young camper
  • Michael Maurer as Man carrying suitcases
  • Lois Goleman as Littering woman
  • Emil Sitka (archive footage)
  • John Cliff (archive footage)
  • Annie Smith as Woman
  • Roger Thompson as Man

Production notes

Kook's Tour was the third time the Stooges had tried to create a live-action television series, after their first attempt with Jerks of All Trades in 1949, and then The Three Stooges Scrapbook in 1960.[1] This is incorrect. Actually Kook's Tour was their fourth pilot for television. Gold Raiders (1951), an independently produced theatrical film with Moe, Larry and Shemp, was also intended to become a TV series. However that never materialized, as the film was not successful.

The name is a pun on the term "Cook's Tour", which was popularized by the Thomas Cook travel company. The film also served as a promotional vehicle for the Chrysler Corporation. All the vehicles shown in this movie were produced by Chrysler, Chrysler RV, and Chrysler Marine Division.[1]

Following Larry's stroke and the cancellation of Kook's Tour, the film remained unreleased for several years. Director Norman Maurer eventually edited all usable footage into a 52-minute film and released it through Niles Film Products in Super 8 Sound home movie format in 1975.[2]: 126  It has since been released in VHS and DVD formats.

There is only one known 16mm original master print of Kook's Tour, belonging to a private owner in Florida. Acquired with documentation through Chrysler Corp. who sponsored the film. Kook's Tour was filmed in no-fade Kodachrome color with optical soundtrack. This rare film print proves that super 8 prints are not the only surviving source for Kook's Tour and that the lost 16mm original exists.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. pp. 546–549. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff; Howard Maurer, Joan; Lenburg, Greg (1 April 2012) [1982]. The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Foreword by Joe Besser (Updated ed.). Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-61374-074-3. LCCN 2011046838. OCLC 867774493. OL 25110042M – via Internet Archive.
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